Object carrying apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for assisting a person to carry an object, for example a canoe, in which a yoke is provided of concave shape to fit around the back or neck of the person without substantial pressure thereon, and having a springy blade portion at each end with a shoulder pad at the free end of each blade portion.

[0001] This invention relates to apparatus for carrying objects.

[0002] The invention relates particularly to apparatus for carrying a canoe from one place to another, for example when the canoe has to be carried from one body of water to another, to traverse a waterfall or rapids, or to travel overland between lakes. This is sometimes referred to as ‘portaging’.

[0003] Canoe carriers with wheels can be used on roads etc. close to home but these are of no use in the wilderness. Previously the center bar of the canoe has been modified to cover a larger area of the shoulders so that the weight of the canoe will be spread out evenly on the neck and shoulders of the person carrying the canoe. Extra padding for the center bar of the canoe is sometimes provided.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide carrying apparatus to facilitate the carrying of objects, such as a canoe, which is more convenient than with previous apparatus.

[0005] Accordingly, from one aspect there is provided carrying apparatus for assisting a person to carry an object comprising a yoke of concave shape to fit around the back or neck of said person without substantial pressure thereon, a springy blade portion attached substantially at each end of said yoke extending from approximately the respective end of said yoke and of a length such that, in use, a free end of each blade portion protrudes beyond a respective shoulder of said person, and a shoulder pad at the free end of each spring blade portion, to rest, in use, on the shoulder area of said person, the object thus being capable of transport on the shoulders of said person without substantial injury to the person.

[0006] From another aspect of the invention there is provided canoe carrying apparatus comprising a yoke of concave shape to fit around the back or neck of a canoeist without substantial pressure thereon, a springy blade portion attached substantially at each end of said yoke extending from approximately the respective end of said yoke and of a length such that, in use, a free end of each blade portion protrudes beyond a respective shoulder of said canoeist, and a shoulder pad at the free end of each springy blade portion to rest, in use, on the shoulder area of said canoeist, the canoe thus being capable of portage without substantial injury to the canoeist.

[0007] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used for like parts and:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the side and rear of a canoeist using carrying apparatus according to this embodiment and showing the apparatus from above;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a front view of a canoeist using the carrying apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carrying apparatus of FIG. 1 to show details thereof;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flexible blade portion;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a side view of the carrying apparatus to show its operation during use;

[0013]FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of an adjustable flexible blade portion, and

[0014]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a carrying apparatus according to a second embodiment.

[0015] Referring to the figures, the carrying apparatus comprises a yoke 2 in the form of a wood bar which, at its ends, attaches to the gunnel of a canoe 4.

[0016] Adjacent each end of the yoke 2 there is affixed a respective flexible springy blade portion 6 or 8 made of wood and fastened to the yoke 2 by bolts 10. At its free end each blade portion 6 is provided with an angle shim 12 as more clearly seen in FIG. 4.

[0017] A shoulder pad portion 14 is also fastened to each blade portion 6,8 and due to the angle shims 12, each shoulder portion is at an angle to the longitudinal length of yoke 2 so that, when carrying a canoe, the apparatus can rest more comfortably on the shoulder area of a canoeist 3 during portage of a canoe.

[0018] The spring action of the blade, portion 6,8 is illustrated in FIG. 5, each blade portion, in use, moving between the illustrated solid line and broken line positions.

[0019] The carrying apparatus may be custom cut and fitted for different sizes of canoe. A length of up to 40″ for the yoke seems to be quite feasible. In one constructed embodiment the yoke was 36 inches long, each spring arm was 10 inches long and each shoulder pad portion was 10 inches long, 4½″ wide and 1½ inches deep. It was made of close cell rubber foam, It was found that yellow birch wood and oak were suitable for making the yoke 2. Number grade, knot free, birch was preferred.

[0020] An adjustable blade portion is shown in FIG. 6. The adjustment is possible due to the provision of two pairs of pre-drilled holes 20 and 22 which are drilled through the blade portion. The yoke 2 has two pairs of holes drilled through it and the blade portion 6 can be moved lengthwise and fastened by bolts or other means. A plate 24 is provided on the surface of blade portion 6 to give further strength. Holes 20 would be used for lighter canoes and holes 22 for heavier canoes. The plate 24 is moved between the holes 20 and 22 depending on whether the canoeist is carrying a lighter or heavier canoe.

[0021] In FIG. 6, a bolt and wing nut arrangement 26 is shown for attaching the shoulder pad 14 to the respective blade portion 6 or 8.

[0022] In use, the opposite ends of the yoke 2 are attached to the gunnel of the canoe 4. The canoeist 3 can then carry the canoe as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with the shoulder pads 14 resting on the shoulders and the weight of the canoe evenly distributed on the shoulders. As will be seen, the pads 14 are at an angle and fit to the slope of the shoulders, pushing on the thick muscular part of the canoeist's shoulders whilst substantially avoiding sensitive nerves. This considerably adds to the comfort of the canoeist 3. With proper use the yoke 2 does not touch the canoeist's neck or back.

[0023] The spring effect of the blade portions 6,8 absorbs the impact of the canoe 4 as the canoeist walks with the canoe during a portage.

[0024] As explained above, the shims 12 on the blade portions 6,8 cause the pad portions 14 to be set at an angle which matches the slope of the shoulder of the canoeist 3. The more the blade portions 6,8 spring under the weight of the canoe 4 the more the shoulder pads 14 are pushed against the shoulders where the muscles are thick so that the sensitive nerves closer to the neck are avoided.

[0025] As the spring action of the blade portions 6,8 causes them to go up and down, the pressure on the shoulders of the canoeist 3 is also changing its point of application. As the canoe 4 moves down its weight pushes inside against the shoulders and as the canoe 4 springs back up its weight is transferred to the top of the shoulders thus avoiding the crushing effect of a constant isolated steady pressure.

[0026] The bar or yoke 2 is designed so that it does not touch the neck or back of the canoeist 3. The two blade portions 6,8 can be attached under the respective end of the yoke 2 to thus improve the spring effect and the shoulder pad portions 14 protrude slightly above the yoke 2 whereby they will not interfere with the handling of the canoe.

[0027] In FIG. 7 carrying apparatus according to a second embodiment is shown in which each shoulder pad portion 14 is of circular cross-sectional shape with a diameter of 5 inches.

[0028] The pads may be contoured each to fit a shoulder etc. and in some cases the angle shims may not be required and the angled shoulder pads may be used to fit the contour of a shoulder.

[0029] Birch spring boards absorbed some shock and a deeply cut curve in the yoke prevented if from resting on the neck of a user.

[0030] It was found that a closed cell rubber shoulder pad was advantageous and a spring board-like wooden blade absorbed shock and the smooth concave shape of the yoke fitted perfectly around the back and neck of a user without touching either.

[0031] From the above, it will be seen that the advantages of the described carrying apparatus are the spring absorbing action, the shoulder pads are set at an angle to fit the slope of the shoulders of a canoeist, the place of application of the pressure on the canoeist changes during walking due to the spring action of the blade portions 6,8, and the pads are set lower than on a traditional yoke.

[0032] It will be appreciated that the “Canoe Spring Yoke” has been created to minimize the stress on the neck and shoulders while carrying a canoe.

[0033] As described, the smooth concave shape of the wooden yoke is made to fit around the back and neck without touching either. The shoulder pads, which are contoured to fit the shoulder, are set at the end of two springy wood blades creating a spring effect, which absorbs the impact of carrying a canoe.

[0034] Not only does the spring effect absorb the shocks, it also gives the pads a chance to compress and decompress, thus allowing blood to flow normally while carrying a canoe.

[0035] These three factors triple the comfort of portaging. The bar is 38 inches in length so it can be cut all the way down to 30 inches to fit the canoe. With the “Canoe Spring Yoke” when the user puts the canoe down it won't be because of the pain and stress on the back or neck but because the legs are tired or even better, because the user has reached the end of the trail.

[0036] It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention may be made for carrying other objects other than canoes.

[0037] It will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit of the invention which will now be pointed out in the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. Carrying apparatus for assisting a person to carry an object comprising a yoke of concave shape to fit around the back or neck of said person without substantial pressure thereon, a springy blade portion attached substantially at each end of said yoke extending from approximately the respective end of said yoke and of a length such that, in use, a free end of each blade portion protrudes beyond a respective shoulder of said person, and a shoulder pad at the free end of each springy blade portion, to rest, in use, on the shoulder area of said person, the object thus being capable of transport on the shoulders of said person without substantial injury to the person.
 2. Carrying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each springy blade portion is provided with a shim to cause the respective shoulder pad to be set at an angle to match the shoulder of the respective person or canoeist.
 3. Canoe carrying apparatus comprising a yoke of concave shape to fit around the back or neck of a canoeist without substantial pressure thereon, a springy blade portion attached substantially at each end of said yoke extending from approximately the respective end of said yoke and of a length such that, in use, a free end of each blade portion protrudes beyond a respective shoulder of said canoeist, and a shoulder pad at the free end of each springy blade portion to rest, in use, on the shoulder area of said canoeist, the canoe thus being capable of portage without substantial injury to the canoeist.
 4. Carrying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each springy blade portion is provided with a shim to cause the respective shoulder pad to be set at an angle to match the shoulder of the respective person or canoeist.
 5. Carrying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each springy blade portion is adjustable in effective length between at least two positions.
 6. Carrying apparatus according to claim 4 wherein each springy blade portion is adjustable in effective length between at least two positions.
 7. Carrying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein two pairs of holes are provided in each blade portion, spaced apart from each other along the length of the blade portion, a pair of corresponding holes in the respective end of said yoke for fastening the blade portion to the yoke and a plate on each blade portion to provide, in use, additional strength.
 8. Carrying apparatus according to claim 4 wherein two pairs of holes are provided in each blade portion, spaced apart from each other along the length of the blade portion, a pair of corresponding holes in the respective end of said yoke for fastening the blade portion to the yoke and a plate on each blade portion to provide, in use, additional strength.
 9. carrying apparatus according to claim 5 wherein two pairs of holes are provided in each blade portion, spaced apart from each other along the length of the blade portion, a pair of corresponding holes in the respective end of said yoke for fastening the blade portion to the yoke and plate on each blade portion to provide, in use, additional strength.
 10. Carrying apparatus according to claim 6 wherein two pairs of holes are provided in each blade portion, spaced apart from each other along the length of the blade portion, a pair of corresponding holes in the respective end of said yoke for fastening the blade portion to the yoke and a plate on each blade portion to provide, in use, additional strength.
 11. Carrying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 12. Carrying apparatus according to claim 4 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 13. Carrying apparatus according to claim 5 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 14. Carrying apparatus according to claim 6 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 15. Carrying apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 16. Carrying apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 17. Carrying apparatus according to claim 9 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section.
 18. Carrying apparatus according to claim 10 wherein each shoulder pad is of circular cross-section. 